Gayle Franzen’s record as Illinois corrections chief in the late 1970s came under attack Thursday by one of his opponents in the Republican primary for Du Page County Board chairman.
Gwen Henry, a County Board member and a former Wheaton mayor, criticized Franzen for his use of state aircraft and for once “goofing off” while he was supposed to have been attending a seminar on hostage negotiations in St. Petersburg, Fla.
“You won’t be embarrassed to support me,” Henry told about 30 people attending a candidates forum sponsored by the Warrenville Chamber of Commerce.
Henry and Franzen are two of the four candidates seeking the GOP nomination in the March 15 primary. Also in the race are Judith Crane Ross, a former County Board member from Downers Grove who finished second in the three-way contest for board chairman in 1990, and Robert Schroeder, a County Board member from Naperville and a retired public schoolteacher.
Franzen, who has the support of the Republican Party hierarchy in Du Page, was state corrections director from late 1978 until early 1981 under then-Gov. James R. Thompson. He also was an executive director of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority during Thompson’s administration and is a former chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority.
Though there have been not-too-subtle criticisms of Franzen’s political connections during the campaign, Henry’s attack was the strongest so far.
She distributed newspaper articles and editorials from 1980 that were critical of Franzen after he was accused of missing sessions of the seminar for which the state paid $6,000.
Henry said after Thursday’s forum that Franzen’s record as state corrections chief ought to be an issue because it raises questions about his leadership and concern for the public trust.
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Afterward, he shrugged off her comments, saying, “These are the kind of personal attacks the County Board has been dealing with for the last three years.”
Michael Mahoney, a veteran of prison-reform efforts in Illinois as executive director of the John Howard Association, said Franzen’s record as corrections director was generally good. Mahoney said Franzen brought professional management to the prison system and hired or promoted talented people, many of whom hold key positions in the Department of Corrections.
“The downside was that he had a high-visibility position and got caught doing things that weren’t illegal or even unethical but raised a stink around the edges.”